1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lantern and fuel system and method and more particularly pertains to allowing a user to safely and conveniently use a liquid fuel to provide heat and light.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of lantern and fuel systems of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, lantern and fuel systems of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of providing heat and light are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,458 to Spotts discloses a portable convertible mantle-lantern, camp stove. U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,075 to Rummel discloses attachments for lanterns. U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,079 to Elder discloses a lantern stove device attachment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,198 discloses a lantern hot plate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,795 discloses a cooking adapter. U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,075 discloses a lantern head for backpacker""s stove. U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,843 to Henry et al. discloses a combustion device for stoves and fireplaces. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,223 issued Aug. 27, 2002, to Draper et al. discloses a lantern system.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a lantern and fuel system and method that allows allowing a user to safely and conveniently use a liquid fuel to provide heat and light.
In this respect, the lantern and fuel system and method according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing a user to safely and conveniently use a liquid fuel to provide heat and light.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved lantern and fuel system and method to safely and conveniently use a liquid fuel to provide heat and light. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of lantern and fuel systems of known designs and configurations now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved lantern and fuel system and method. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved lantern and fuel system and method which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a fuel tank fabricated of metal with a flat bottom and a hemispherically shaped side wall thereby forming a cavity. A pressure gauge opening and pressure gauge stub with a male threaded outward end are provided in the side wall. The side wall also has a pump opening and pump stub with a male threaded outward end. An associated check valve and a vaporizer opening into the cavity of the fuel tank are contained within the pump stub. There is also a tank filling opening and an associated threaded filling stub.
A pressure gauge subassembly has a readable indicator and a pressure bleed-off screw and a threaded collar to couple the pressure gauge subassembly to the pressure gauge stub of the fuel tank.
A pump subassembly has a shaft. The upper end of the shaft has a gripping handle. The lower end has a pump portion with a beveled seat and an O-ring associated thereto to provide a seal for pumping. The pump subassembly is positioned in the pump stub of the fuel tank between the cavity of the tank and the end of the pump stub. The shaft of the pump passes through a threaded stub cap which is coupled to the pump stub of the tank.
A hollow tubular lower skirt has an outer surface and an inner surface with a wall thickness there between. The lower skirt has a continuous bottom portion of a first diameter. The bottom portion has a valve slot. The lower skirt also has a multi-perforated upper portion of a second diameter with a flare. The upper portion has an ignition slot and a valve slot there through. The flared upper portion has a lip with a plurality of upwardly directed connecting rod holes there through.
A flat round disk-like planar lower skirt cap has a plurality of holes there through and is sized to fit within the first diameter of the lower skirt. The cap has a central screw hole for coupling with the tank.
A generally U-shaped ignition bowl has an up-pipe in a hollow tube configuration. The upper end of the pipe is beveled and an aperture is provided into the tube at the lower end of the pipe. The pipe is coupled to the ignition bowl at the lower end and the ignition bowl is coupled to the cap.
A round flat disc-like safety cover has a plurality of holes there through. The safety cover has a diameter sized to fit securely within the second diameter of the lower skirt. A Z-shaped upward projection is coupled to the cover. The projection has a notch at an uncoupled end.
A round tubular heat resistant glass chimney has a first length with an outside diameter sized to be received and securely contained within the inside of the flare of the lower skirt.
A hollow tubular upper skirt has an outer surface and an inner surface and a wall thickness there between. The upper skirt has a flared lower portion with a lip. The lip has a plurality of downwardly oriented connecting rod holes there through. The upper portion has a plurality of handle coupling threaded studs at opposite sides. The upper portion of the upper skirt has a third diameter larger than the first diameter and smaller than the second diameter. The upper portion has a plurality of upwardly oriented slots there through. The upper skirt has a central opening at the uppermost extent having a diameter of approximately the first diameter.
A lantern top cap has a hollow tubular lower portion with a plurality of openings there through and an outwardly flared upper portion with a flat top. The lower portion has a mixing chamber and couples with the upper skirt.
A plurality of connecting rods comprise a shaft. Each end has a male thread and an associated nut. The rods are sized to be received into the connecting rod holes of the lower skirt and the upper skirt. The rods couple to the upper and lower skirt with the nuts being tightened on the rods to firmly hold and contain the glass chimney there between.
A vaporizer has a lower subassembly and an upper subassembly. The lower subassembly has an upper end and a lower end. The lower end has a tubular configuration and projects downward into the tank cavity through the vaporizer opening in the tank to a point near the bottom of the tank cavity. A valve housing is coupled to the upper end. The upper end of the lower subassembly has a coupling means to couple the lower subassembly to the tank. The lower end has a check valve at its lowermost extent. The upper end has a T-shaped tubular body with an upper extension and a lower extension and a side end control stub located to protrude through the valve slot of the lower skirt. The upper extension has a flare coupling nut. The lower subassembly has a handle and a handle shaft. The handle shaft has a handle end and an actuating end. The shaft is coupled to the control stub with the handle shaft running the length of the control stub. The shaft has a protrusion at the actuating end. The upper vaporizer subassembly has a lower flared end with an associated coupling nut and a tubular riser and two warming coils. The warming coils have a curved tubular configuration and couple at each end of the coil with the tubular riser. The tubular riser has a first internal diameter and a second internal diameter. The uppermost extent of the upper subassembly has a female thread and an associated male threaded nipple. The nipple has an associated threaded jet needle. The nipple has an aperture of between about {fraction (18/1000)} inch and {fraction (24/1000)} inch there through centrally located and oriented in an upward direction.
A vaporizer shaft has an upper shaft and a lower shaft and a shaft connector. Each shaft is sized to fit loosely within the tubular body of the valve with the lower shaft threadedly coupling with the shaft connector and the vaporizer lower subassembly check valve and operating the valve as the handle shaft is turned. The upper shaft is threadedly coupled with the connector and the jet needle so that rotation of the knob performs one of the two operations which include the opening of the lower check valve to allow the passage of fuel and the engagement of the needle into the aperture of the nipple. A quantity of steel wool wrapped around the vaporizer shaft.
A J-shaped mixing tube has an internal diameter and an external diameter and a wall thickness there between. The tube has an internally coupled wire mesh and an internal rotatably movable baffle plate with an associated rotation shaft. The tube has a longer portion and a shorter portion. The shorter portion of the mixing tube has a baffle plate aperture with the rotatable baffle located within the internal diameter of the tube with the rotation shaft protruding through the plate aperture. The shorter portion couples with the lantern top cap between about xc2xe and 2 inches from the jet aperture of the vaporizer forming a mixing chamber. The longer portion protrudes downward toward the center of the glass chimney.
A mantel is coupled to the short portion of the mixing tube and is suspended within the glass chimney. A quantity of liquid methanol is used as a fuel.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lantern and fuel system and method which has all of the advantages of the prior art lantern and fuel systems of known designs and configurations and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lantern and fuel system and method which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved lantern and fuel system which is of durable and reliable constructions.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved lantern and fuel system and method which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such lantern and fuel system and method economically available to the buying public.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a lantern and fuel system and method for allowing a user to safely and conveniently use a liquid fuel to provide heat and light.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pressure gauge subassembly, a pump subassembly, a lower skirt and cap, and an ignition bowl having an up-pipe coupled to a fuel tank. A safety cover has a Z-shaped upward projection coupled to the lower skirt. A heat resistant glass chimney is coupled to the lower and upper skirts. A lower skirt is coupled to the glass chimney. A lantern top cap with a mixing chamber is coupled to the upper skirt. A plurality of connecting rods firmly hold and contain the glass chimney between the upper skirt and the lower skirt. A vaporizer has two warming coils and a nipple. A quantity of steel wool is wrapped around a vaporizer shaft. A J-shaped mixing tube having a wire mesh and a baffle plate is coupled to the lantern top cap. A mantel is coupled to the mixing tube. The fuel is a quantity of liquid methanol.